The invention concerns a lighting device with at least one door light provided in the door of a vehicle, the light source of which is disposed behind a wall of a door cover, in particular a trim, wherein the outer side of the wall in this region is formed by a light permeable decorative layer the surface decoration of which corresponds to that of the wall when the light source is switched off.
A lighting device of this kind is e.g. known in the art through DE 195 24 602 A1.
A door light having a red cover plate is often provided in the door covering or in the door frame of a motor vehicle having a red illumination region when the door is opened to warn traffic coming from the rear of a dangerous location (open door). In addition, the light from this door light can be used to illuminate the ground proximate the vehicle. Due to the colored cover plate, the lighting device is often recognizable by the occupants when the vehicle door is closed. In addition, the colored light cover plate normally does not fit into the design concept of the door and of the inner covering of the door. In addition, the static light does not produce the optimal warning effect.
The above mentioned DE 195 24 602 A1 discloses a trim covering member for the inner compartment of a motor vehicle consisting essentially of a transparent material along its entire front surface facing into the inner compartment of the vehicle. An illumination device is disposed in the cavity formed between the front side of the hollow shell-shaped trim piece and the door covering, which is only activated when the door is opened. The background behind the trim covering is dark so that the trim covering is not distinguishable from other trim covering portions within the inner compartment of the motor vehicle not having a lighting configuration when the lighting configuration is switched-off. A proper coloring or pattern on the transparent material of the trim covering components allows this component to be individually adapted to the remaining trim covering components provided in the inner compartment of the motor vehicle for the inner decor. However, a coloration or pattern given to the transparent material (decorative layer) cannot always be identically matched to the surface decoration of the remaining trim covering components.
It is therefore the purpose of the present invention to improve a lighting device of the above mentioned kind in such a fashion that the light permeable decorative layer can be given an arbitrary surface design.